These Mexican Slow Cooker Short Rib Tacos are fall-off-the-bone tender beef cooked low and slow in adobo sauce. Since the crockpot does all the work, this is one epic family dinner idea that comes together effortlessly.
If being popular and a celebrity among your friends and family are part or your life goals, then the way to get there is with these Short Rib Tacos.
Maybe you want to be the hostess with the mostess and throw the best dinner parties on the block -now you can, with these Mexican Short Rib Tacos from the Taco Tuesday Cookbook.
Or maybe you just want to enjoy a comforting meal on a busy weeknight without spending hours in the kitchen -again, the answer is these Mexican Short Rib Tacos.
I know you’re getting the picture here…. and it’s all true! This is one of the best beef tacos I’ve EVER had which is why I had to include them inside my Taco Tuesday Cookbook! The meat is so smoky and tender, I promise the first time I tried this recipe I couldn’t help but think “Did I really just make this?”!
You might be thinking, “Short Ribs? That sounds complicated… “. Not this recipe my friend, because you’ll be putting that slow cooker to use!
Since the key to fall off the bone, tender beef is for it to cook low and slow, it’s the perfect recipe for a slow cooker day. You know, one of those days where you know it’s going to be super busy but it would be awesome to come back home to an awesome meal.
The chipotle peppers in adobo sauce add a depth of smoky flavor that puts the Mexican in these Mexican Short Ribs Tacos. You’ll find the peppers in the Latin section of the grocery store, and while you getting them, go ahead and grab a few cans, you’ll need them for some other recipes in the Taco Tuesday Cookbook.
If you haven’t cooked much with these peppers they do add some spice, so keep that in mind if you are feeding these tacos to kids or a crowd. But they are never too spicy once you add a little cheese and sour cream.
Since this recipe feeds 8 people, I love making it for a midweek dinner -like on Tuesdays 😉 and then I’ll use leftovers over salads, quesadillas, and even pan-fried with rice -think Mexican fried rice. Woah!
The best part is that my kids love this recipe. In fact, they seem to love all sorts of foods when wrapped in a tortilla, which is another inspiration behind the Taco Tuesday Cookbook. With three picky eaters, I found that they enjoyed trying new foods if it was served to them in a way that they are familiar with- tacos.
If you love tacos as much as we do, make sure to check out all the other taco recipes on this website. I’m quite obsessed with them as you might have already figured out.
Short Rib Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 6 pounds beef short ribs, fat trimmed
- 1 can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 ounces tomato paste
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon salt
- ½ cup beef stock
- 1 large white onion, finely chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 12 corn or flour tortillas, store bought or homemade, warmed
- 2 avocados, peeled, pitted, and sliced
- Pico de Gallo
- Sour cream
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Begin to brown the beef ribs in batches until browned on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Place them inside a large slow cooker once they've browned.
- In a blender, combine the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, garlic, tomato paste, lime juice, apple cider vinegar, cumin, salt and beef stock. Blend until the sauce is homogenous. Transfer to the slow cooker and pour over the beef. Add half of the chopped onion, reserving the remaining half for serving, and the bay leaves.
- Cover and cook for 6 hours on high or 10 hours on low, until the meat is falling off the bone.
- Remove the ribs from the sauce. Remove any excess fat from the ribs; discard the bones and shred the meat. Using a slarge spoon, skim the fat from the surface of the sauce in the slow cooker. Transfer the meat back to the slow cooker and combine with the sauce.
- Serve the beef inside a tortilla and top with the reserved chopped onions, sliced avocados, pico de gallo, and a dab of sour cream.
Sheila
Hi Laura:
Do you have a cooking time for the ribs if I want to use an electric pressure cooker? It is quicker for me. Also, my ribs are really thick, like 3-4 inches thick. Thanks, in advance!
Laura Fuentes
Last time I made ribs in the pressure cooker, about 3 pounds, I set it to High pressure for 25 minutes. Then I did a natural release for about 5 minutes. The meat should fall off the bone then!
Jody
We buy half of a cow every year, and I never know how to cook the short ribs. I decided to try this recipe for short rib tacos, and I’m so glad! My kids and I loved them.
I used large tortillas, filled them with the short rib meat, rice, black beans and cheese and rolled them into burritos. Then, I drizzled some of the short rib sauce from the slow cooker over the burritos, added some more cheese, and popped them into the oven for twelve minutes. I served them with sour cream, chopped lettuce/tomato, and guacamole. Yum! Thanks so much.
Zach
Awesome recipe for short rib tacos. Only thing I did differently was after browning the meat, I used the onions and beef stock to scrape up the fond on the bottom of my cast iron. Then I strained the stock into the blender and put the onions into the slow cooker. It’s hard to waste good food!
Laura Fuentes
OoOOH yes. Never leave the tidbits on the pan behind. Brilliant use. I’m glad you enjoyed your tacos, Zach.
chicken burger
Dear LAURA,
Your video explains everything, it’s very helpful for me. hank u for sharing with us.